FIRST LOOK: Miami RB Coaching Board
Article photo of Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee; credit Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
With the hiring of Shannon Dawson to be the offensive coordinator by Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, one of the key components to finishing out the offensive staff will be finding a running backs coach.
Recently, Miami running backs coach Kevin Smith moved on to be on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss staff. Smith’s departure opened up an opportunity for Dawson and Cristobal to collaborate on the next running backs coach.
Here’s an initial first look list that has a combination of obvious and not so obvious names. Keep in mind, this list is just what All Hurricanes believes would be good coaching options for Miami, and nothing more.
List in alphabetical order
Tim Harris, Jr. - UCF
This would be a quality hire for several reasons. First, Harris has known South Florida well. He coached at Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington as an assistant (2009-2013) and as the head man (2014).
Harris also went to Florida International to coach the running backs (2015-2020) before adding co-offensive coordinator to his title (2021). Thus, still local, but added valuable college coaching and recruiting experience.
This past two seasons, Harris has moved on to become the running backs coach/co-offensive coordinator for Gus Malzahn at UCF (2021-current).
The 2022 campaign saw UCF finish 9th in the country in rushing, having averaged 228.4 yards rushing per game. He helped develop a three-man rotation at running back with Isaiah Bowser rushing for 799 yards and 16 touchdowns, RJ Harvey accounted for 796 yards, a 6.8 average and five touchdowns, and Johnny Richardson accumulated 370 yards on the ground and 6.9 yards per carry.
Most importantly, it was a well coached UCF backfield. Running, receiving and blocking were all areas that the Knights did well.
There’s also a recruiting edge with Harris being familiar with South Florida, and in particular, the Miami Public League, where the Hurricanes have recruited well when they were winning all the way back to the days of Howard Schnellenberger.
Carlos Locklyn - Oregon
One of the rising stars in the profession came up through the high school ranks, having coached prep football (2009-2016) prior to getting his first chance at the college level with Memphis.
While a part of the Tigers program, he started out as a weight room assistant, then moving to offensive analyst, and then being named director of high school relations.
After helping Memphis in off-the-field roles (2017-2019), Locklyn went to Florida State (2020) where he once again was the high school relations director. The next year was Locklyn’s first chance to coach on the field at the college level.
His first FBS running backs job was at Western Kentucky (2021). The Hilltoppers were dynamic on offense, averaging 44.2 points per game, good for No. 2 in the nation. While Western Kentucky was known for throwing the football, the running backs did well under Locklyn’s direction.
Running back Noah Wittington (who transferred to Oregon to be with Locklyn) rushed for 617 yards, 6.1 yards per tote, and scored two rushing touchdowns. Even in a wide-open passing attack, three separate running backs rushed for more than 300 yards, and running back Adam Cofield caught 22 passes for an additional 176 yards.
Additionally, Locklyn has been a tremendous recruiter. He’s well known and respected down South from Texas to Miami, areas the Hurricanes consistently recruit, and he just landed two talented running backs to the Ducks 2023 recruiting class – Dante Dowdell from Mississippi and Jayden Limar from the state of Washington – to help Oregon have one of the nation's top recruiting classes.
Dell McGee - Georgia
This one is the true long shot. Why would McGee leave two-time defending national champion Georgia?
He probably will not. That does not mean the phone will not ring from Cristobal (and other college coaches).
After being at the prep level as the head coach of famed Columbus (Ga.) Carver (2005-2013), McGee went to Auburn (2013), his alma mater, to be an analyst. That was the beginning of a fruitful college coaching career that’s just getting into high gear.
He went to Georgia Southern to be the running backs coach (2014), running backs/assistant head coach (2015), as well as serving as the interim head coach (2015). That’s when he headed north to Athens, Ga.
McGee has been a part of the UGA program as the assistant head coach/running backs coach (2016-2018), and the running game coordinator and running backs coach (2019-current).
Georgia's rushing attack has been tremendous under McGee's watchful eye, especially in big games in the SEC and in the College Football Playoffs.
He’s also been tremendous on the recruiting trail, having helped the Dawgs land several national recruits from as far away as California, as well as being quite active on the recruiting trail – landing top South Florida prospect Kenny McIntosh from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School – among them.
John Settle - Kentucky
Settle’s background came from what many quality coaches did – a tough as nails player turned coach that has strived to see his players consistently hit the details with every item they were challenged with.
That mentality has seen tremendous success. Just consider the following college running backs under Settle’s tutelage:
Corey Clement was the first Wisconsin (2015-2016) running back to really take off for Settle, rushing for 819 yards and seven scores as a junior, and then 1,375 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.
Jonathan Taylor was next at Wisconsin (2017-2019), as he went for 6,174 yards in three seasons as a Badger, the highest three-year total in college football history. Taylor also scored 50 rushing touchdowns during that span. He’s now one of the NFL’s best players with the Indianapolis Colts.
Chris Rodriguez was next up, and this time at Kentucky (2021-2022). The big back rambled for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, and then in just eight games because of injury this past season, Rodriguez accounted for 904 yards and six touchdowns.
Love taking this pic of best running back in the country @CROD_JR and @Coachjsetcats . Congrats on @seniorbowl invite. pic.twitter.com/PzRfubVylJ
— CoachMarrowUK (@vincemarrow) November 14, 2022
Prior to heading over to Wisconsin or Kentucky, Settle was the running backs coach at Fresno State (1998-2005), so he knows West Coast recruiting well.
Beyond college, Settle has also been a NFL coach for the Cleveland Browns as an offensive assistant (1995) and the same role with the Baltimore Ravens (1996-1997).
Again, this was just a starter list. Other names like Penn State’s Ja’Juan Seider, currently the running backs coach and assistant head coach, plus being from Belle Glade, Fla., make him attractive for Miami.
There’s also Jonathan Wallace from Kansas after playing for Phenix City (Ala.) Central and at Auburn. So he should certainly be mentioned as well, among numerous other running back coaches.
It will be interesting to see if Cristobal and Dawson look for an upcoming coach like Locklyn or someone more established like Harris, McGee or Settle.
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